Shorts @ PÖFF

Brave New Worlds: Scifi and Fantasy Shorts

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020
Programme
Shorts Alternatives

If we didn’t know it was the reality of the present day, one would swear that 2020 is a work of dystopian fiction. Contagion sweeps the world, technology takes over and the oppressors take the reins of power. But despite the fact that we seemingly live in a “New Bad Future”, sci-fi and fantasy still has an important role to play.

Great sci-fi and fantasy serves two functions. One the one hand it provides superlative entertainment, through fantastical stories and (often) through judicious use of special effects. But it also becomes a prism through which real world concerns are filtered as well as a tantalising look at what the future can hold.

All the films in this selection fulfil both roles admirable as the shorts on offer look at times and places that both seem eerily distant yet close to the world that we know. With some remarkable technical achievements that breathe life into these worlds, alongside some engrossing stories, the future may be uncertain but there are still glimmers of hope in these brave new worlds.

Films

Baltic premiere

Shattered Identity

Local title
Killustunud isiksus
Director
Fabian Lang
Country
Austria
Year
2020
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020

In a world not unlike ours, Noemè is being ripped of her identity and pushed to the margins of society. Along with one like her, she's on the escape from the crushing forces of a city that is no longer hers. With vibrant illustrations and a dense score, the animated short film depicts the pursuit of a new self and draws a picture of hope in a world full of desperation.

Director
Fabian Lang
Runtime
Language
English

Baltic premiere

Affirmative Action

Local title
Positiivne diskrimineerimine
Director
Sonia Challal
Country
France
Year
2019
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020
Genre
/mängufilm/

Paris, 2042. A French black family is summoned to a government office; on premises, they’re urged to subscribe to an anti-discrimination program called “Affirmative Action”, which they have already categorically rejected in the past. Existing tensions flare-up as it is revealed that a family member has secretly volunteered to the program.

Director
Sonia Challal
Runtime

World premiere

Micosis

Local title
Mükoos
Original title
Micosis
Director
Juan Luis Brea
Country
Spain
Year
2019
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020

Micosis is the story of Alpha, an astronaut who is looking for his missing companion, Omega. He will descend into the deep caverns and into his fears.

Director
Juan Luis Brea
Runtime

Baltic premiere

Terminal Happiness

Local title
Lõplik õnnelikkus
Director
Eric Romero
Country
Estonia
Year
2020
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020

In a world where positivity is compulsory,cancer patients need to endure Happy Therapy. When a sarcastic rebel appears in the facility, an impressionable girl must choose between following the rules or embracing how she really feels.

Director
Eric Romero
Runtime
Language
English

Baltic premiere

The Recycling Man

Local title
Taaskasutav mees
Director
Carlo Ballauri
Country
Italy
Year
2020
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020

In a crowded, yet lonely suburban neighborhood, Jacob, a boy immobilized in a wheelchair, fights boredom by spying on his neighbors across the courtyard. Sarah, a girl of the same age, spots him out and says hello with a piece of paper. The new friendship is suddenly interrupted when a menacing man approaches the girl and attacks her from behind with a screwdriver. Jacob, even though he is stuck in his chair, will try everything to help the little girl. But is the boy really witnessing a murder with his binoculars, or is he just not seeing the whole picture?

Director
Carlo Ballauri
Runtime
Language
English

Baltic premiere

The Appointment

Local title
Kohtumine.
Director
Alexandre Singh
Country
United Kingdom
Year
2019
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2020

In this playful, supernatural tale by visual artist Alexandre Singh, a curmudgeonly novelist, Henry Salt, wakes from a nightmare to find a troubling entry in his diary: 12 o’clock at the restaurant ‘La Folie’. But whom is Henry meeting, and why doesn’t he remember making this appointment? When no one shows, Henry becomes obsessed with solving the mystery. Charging through a series of increasingly surreal encounters, Henry discovers that the truth is more disturbing than he could have possibly imagined.

Director
Alexandre Singh
Runtime
Language
English